


The Best of Us

by flyamongthestars



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, adrienette - Freeform, but i will murder you all with angst, i tried to talk about all 4 sides of the square, ladrien, my loves, obviously some are better than others, or at least try to, probably no smut because i'm a pure child, seriously just a whole lotta fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 04:32:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7299679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyamongthestars/pseuds/flyamongthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette is Ladybug. Adrien is Chat Noir.<br/>Adrien is shy, but kind. He is a leader, but he's funny and sweet. Of course Marinette was going to fall in love with him.<br/>Ladybug is determined, bold, and courageous. She risks her life everyday for Paris, and she does it with a smile on her face. Of course Chat Noir was going to fall in love with her.<br/>They both are in love with each other, but neither know who the other is. </p><p>When Marinette realizes that the cocky boy who races her across rooftops and fights villains by her side is the same quiet boy who sits in front of her in class, who she can't even talk to without stuttering, she is stunned to say the least. Will she ever be able to stand next to her partner again without getting butterflies (non-akumatized of course)? Or will she finally just make the move that Chat has been too scared to make?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stupid Alley Cat & His Stupid Smile

**Author's Note:**

> hello everybody!  
> first published work on AO3, so that's pretty cool right?  
> I apologize if this story is truly awful, I'm still working on my writing skills. I haven't written fanfiction in a while and I am absolutely in love with Miraculous Ladybug, so I decided to pull out the old USB and start typing again. I hope it's angsty enough for everyone.
> 
> Okay, so now for a little favor I have to ask you guys. I had a LOT of inspiration from things I saw on Tumblr for parts of this story (my URL is the same as my username on here). Now, me being the idiot I am, I screenshotted all the things I considered using, BUT I didn't remember to screenshot the usernames of the people who posted it. I truly do want to give credit to where it's due, so if any of you readers read anything that reminds you of a Tumblr post, PLEASE tell me! I am not trying to steal anyone's work whatsoever, I'm just forgetful of important things sometimes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would say sorry that it's a shorter chapter, but in all honesty most of my chapters are this short  
> I enjoy switching POV's often, which means shorter chapters, but MORE chapters  
> so that's sorta a positive, right?  
> anyway I hope you guys don't already hate yourselves while reading this
> 
> Marinette's POV

“I have to go, Chat.”

The first beep rang out from Ladybug’s earrings. Together, they had just defeated another pesky akuma, but Ladybug was running out of time. She quickly grabbed her yoyo from her hip and swung it forward, lacing it around a telephone pole. She readied herself to sway into the night, but Chat grabbed her arm.

“Ladybug, I want to talk to you.” Chat’s ring beeped for the second time now.

“Chat, if we stay any longer than we’d see each other detransform.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” Ladybug unraveled the yoyo from the pole and looped it back together.

“Not here, Chat. Not now.” The black cat sighed.

“Then when, Ladybug? You know Master Fu agrees with me. We can’t begin to process of getting stronger with one another if we don’t become closer with one another.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. She clearly remembered the talk they both had at Master Fu’s.

_“The miraculouses you both possess are most simply put, one living entity. They were split into two different kwamis, which then allowed each to develop their own personality and being. But, in the beginning, they were a single body, a single life, a single soul. The closer Ladybug and Chat Noir grow, the closer the kwamis grow. Which means, their strength increases as they become closer to becoming a whole again. Ladybug and Chat Noir should be spending as much time as possible together. The ideal would be that you two actually show each other who you are behind the masks. This would allow both of you to develop a deeper trust within one another, give you plenty of opportunity to spend time together, and not have to always shield yourself. I understand if you are not yet ready for such a change, but it would be wisest._

Master Fu looked directly at Marinette as he spoke the last sentence.

It’s true; Ladybug was definitely the most hesitant about unveiling herself. What if her and Chat knew each other in their personal lives? What if they hated each other? What if showing their identities changed their dynamic, their team? There were too many risks to it, and not enough positives. It didn’t matter that Marinette was itching to know who hid under that slick black suit. It didn’t matter that she was absolutely dying to see those electric green eyes without the dark mask and to ruffle his beach blonde hair without his cat ears. Marinette’s desires didn’t matter, Paris mattered. And the best thing for Paris was both Ladybug and Chat Noir staying the exact way they were, and fighting the same way they always did.

“Chat, we can’t do it out here, in the wide open. Anyone could be watching and filming us right now.” Her earrings beeped a second time and his watched followed suit on his third. “We need to go.”

“My Lady, why won’t you open up to me?” She shook her head.

“It’s not like that, Kitty.” Ladybug used her pet name for Chat in the hopes that it would ease the tension. If anything, it made it worst. His face slightly scrunched up.

“Then what is it like, Ladybug? Are you afraid?”

“Chat, just drop it. We need to get out of here. We’re going to detransform soon.”

“No, Ladybug. I’m sick of running away from this topic. Always. Are you afraid of me?”

“No, Chat, I’m not afraid of you. I’m−─”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid of myself, Chat!” Ladybug snapped. Chat widened his eyes at her outburst.

“I’m afraid that the minute I show you who I truly am, this will all be over. The glass wall we have built will shatter. I am afraid that things will never be the same again. What if we’re enemies in our personal lives, Chat? How do you think that will bode for our team if we realize that we hate each other?”

Chat interrupted. “My Lady, I could never hate you.”

“But you don’t know that!” Ladybug growled. Chat took a step back from her in defense. “You can’t promise me that! I’m afraid that I’m not who you imagined me to be; that when the mask comes off, you’re disappointed. I can’t lose my partner, Chat! You’re my best friend; you’re the only one who understands my situation in the slightest! I can’t lose you.”

Chat’s shoulders relaxed. She was afraid of losing him. “Bugaboo, you could never scare me off.” Ladybug’s earrings chirped for a fourth time. She turned away, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back around. “Please, just stay.”

Ladybug’s eyes started welling up. “Why can’t you just take no for an answer, Chat?!” She choked out. “Why do you always push?” She flung her yoyo off into the darkness and disappeared. Tears rolled down her face and quickly dried as she swung through the cold night air. Her feet slammed onto the concrete in the corner of the dark alley as her transformation wore off. Tikki flew out in front of her before falling into her hands.

“You sure did keep yourself changed for a long time after your Lucky Charm!” Marinette pet the little kwami’s antennae.

“I’m sorry, Tikki. Chat tried to talk to me about showing our secret identities again. It took me a while to shake him off.” Tikki scrunched her little face up in disapproval.

“Maybe you should share your identities, Marinette. You heard what Master Fu said. It would really help your skills! You know the kwami holders of the Ladybug and the Cat are supposed to be close.” Marinette sighed.

“Tikki, what about this is so difficult to understand? I’m not ready to show Chat. I can’t do that. I can’t bear the idea of letting him down.” Tikki opened her little mouth to respond.

“Not anymore, Tikki. I can’t talk about this anymore today. I’m tired and I want to go to bed.” Without another word, Marinette stuck Tikki in her purse, and began walking home.

She opened the bakery doors, and the smell of warm dough wafted out to meet her. Her parents both turned around towards her.

“Good evening, Marinette! How was Alya’s? Do you feel ready for your chemistry test tomorrow?” Marinette gave them the strongest smile she could.

“Yeah, I do, mom. Thanks for asking. I’m really tired though, so I’m just going to go upstairs and go to bed.” On her way upstairs, she saw a plate of warm cookies out of the corner of her eye.

“Can I take a few of these?”

“Of course, Mari, take anything you want.” She grabbed a couple cookies and went up to their apartment.

Once she was in her bed, she unclasped her purse, Tikki whizzing out. Marinette placed the two cookies by Tikki’s bed, and she happily munched on her favorite snack. Marinette quickly changed into pajamas before slipping into bed.

“Marinette,” Tikki mumbled through the remains of her last cookie. “I really do think it would be for the best if you and Chat told each other the truth. I know you’re scared, Marinette. I know that Chat could never be disappointed in who you truly are. Mari, you’re an amazing girl; with or without the mask.” Tikki flitted over to Mari’s bed and sat on her pillow next to her. “Chat could never be disappointed. He’ll love you no matter what.”

Marinette stood up and walked over to her desk. She plopped herself down at her chair, staring at her wall. There were the pictures of Adrien that she’s had up there, but next to those she added clippings; from newspapers and online articles, all about Ladybug and Chat Noir. She looked at all the pictures of the two of them together. They all depicted the duo after they had successfully ended an akuma attack, so they had big smiles on their faces. In most of the pictures, Marinette always noticed that Chat was rarely looking at the camera, but his eyes were focused on her. In his eyes she saw admiration, trust, and friendship. She smiled slightly as she looked at Chat’s grin.

“Are you smiling because of Chat?” Tikki teased, twirling back over to the desk.

“I am most certainly not! I’m smiling because I remember how relieving it was to finally be able to capture that akuma!” Marinette’s face got warm. Tikki just giggled and laid down in her bed.

“Just saying, Mari. Maybe things would be better if you and Chat knew each other behind the mask.” Tikki then decided that it would be best to not press the subject anymore; she buzzed into her little kwami bed that Marinette had made especially for her, and closed her eyes. Marinette turned off her desk lamp, heading back into bed and under the comforter. She stared at the ceiling for awhile, giving into the thoughts of Chat Noir.

There was no way in hell that she was remotely interested in Chat. Her heart belonged only to Adrien. And it had been that way for years. She kept mentally reconvincing herself that there was no way that the mangy alley cat she ran next to everyday had somehow found a way to scratch himself into her heart. She then attempted to occupy her thoughts with Adrien, but the more she fell asleep, the more she thought about Chat instead.

“Chat does have a pretty nice smile, doesn’t he, Tikki?”

“Only when he’s looking at you, Marinette.”

Marinette fell asleep with a smile on her face after she heard that.


	2. Where Do I Rent A Tux?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's POV

He was dressed as Chat Noir.

            He ran as fast as he could through the streets of Paris. His magical baton was no longer strung on his back, so he could only move on foot. The sky grew darker with every step he took.

            “Hello?! Is anyone here?!” He screamed out, but the wind blew his voice away.

            “Chat Noir?” A voice called from behind him. He whipped around and faced his best friend, Nino.  “Where is everybody?”

            “I don’t know. But it’s okay, Nino, I’m going to find everyone and bring them back.” Chat placed his hand on Nino’s shoulder to comfort him. When Chat pulled his fingers away, he saw rust start growing on Nino’s shoulder, spreading over his entire body. Nino cried out from the pain.

            “No, wait! My cataclysm doesn’t work on people! This isn’t right!” But it didn’t matter. Nino disintegrated into dust and was taken away with the breeze. Chat collapsed to his knees.

            “That’s not your fault, Adrien.” A voice as sweet as honeysuckle whispered behind him. Chat recognized that voice from anywhere, even though he had not heard it in years.

            “Mom?” Chat murmured. He slowly turned around, and came face-to-face with her.

            “I’ve missed you, darling.” She held out her arms and beckoned him to come closer. Without a second thought, Chat leapt to his feet and ran into her arms. He pressed his nose against her shoulder and smelled the perfume that once lingered in every nook and cranny in the house. She pulled Chat away from her, placing her hands on his face.

            “You’ve grown so much.” He smiled sadly at her, and then placed his hand atop hers. She flashed her beautiful smile, but it soon turned into a grimace.

            “Mom, what’s ─−”, but he soon answered his own question. His face twisted into horror as he slowly watched the rust creep down her shoulder and to her chest. It almost was to her chin when she whispered.

            “I love you, Adrien.” She then fell into a pile of her own ashes. Chat stood there frozen, tears leaking out of his eyes. His knees felt weak, and he almost gave up. Until he heard her.

            “Chat!” He slowly pivoted, tears still in his eyes, and looked up towards the sky. She gracefully swung towards him. She moved with ease in her scarlet bodysuit, a rose rippling through the air. She rolled on the concrete and stood up in front of him.

            “Chat, it’s okay. I promise it’s okay.” Thick, hot tears were falling quickly down Chat’s face now. Ladybug reached her hand out to wrap it around his waist, but Chat stepped away.

            “Please don’t; please don’t touch me, Ladybug. I can’t bear to lose you too. Please stay away from me.” Chat couldn’t even try to hold in his sobs.

            “I’m not afraid of you, Kitty. I know you won’t hurt me. Please, let me help you.” Ladybug took another step towards Chat. He didn’t step away again. She hesitantly came closer, until they were standing no more than a foot apart. She wrapped both hands around his waist, and buried her head in his chest.

            “It’s okay, Chat. It’s okay.” Tears poured down his face. He allowed himself the luxury of staying in the warm embrace of her. But as she pulled away, he felt his fingertip graze her back.

            “No, Ladybug, no,” but it was already too late. The rust had engulfed most of her back already.

            “Chat, how could you?” Her voice dimmed as she eroded away. “I trusted you.”

 

* * *

 

            The sudden ring of his alarm clock jolted him from the nightmare. He thrust himself up, panting. He was moist with sweat, and his eyes were still thick with tears. He quickly brushed them away, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and hunching over.

            “You know,” Plagg’s voice called out from on top of the bookcase, “you talk a lot in your sleep.” Adrien closed his eyes and worked on steadying his breathing before responding.

            “Oh yeah, and what was I saying?”

            “I try to tune you out most of the time, but I did hear Ladybug’s name a lot.” Adrien glanced up at the bookshelf as Plagg came zipping down.  “Were you having another one of those amazing dreams where you confess your undying love to her?!” He sarcastically folded his two hands together and made a dreamy look on his face. Adrien swatted him out of the air.

            “Shut up, Plagg. I’m going to go shower.”

            Once he had gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed, he made his way to the dining room where breakfast was already waiting for him. Nathalie was sitting down next to his usual seat, but his father’s chair at the opposite head of the table was empty.

            “Where’s my father, Nathalie?” She didn’t even glance up from her tablet.

            “He flew to Taiwan last night for a fashion emergency. He said he’s sorry he couldn’t tell you in person, but he’ll be home as soon as he can.” Adrien resisted rolling his eyes as he sat down in front of his food.

            That was all his father ever said to him, or at least ever got other people to say to him. _I’m sorry._ But never once did Adrien ever believe he actually meant it. He only just always said it. Because if his father actually meant it, then he probably would have shown some affection every once and awhile to him.

            “Adrien? Are you okay?” Nathalie’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

            “Does it matter?” Adrien stood up from the table and went back to his room, ignoring the calls from Nathalie to come back.

            He shut his door behind him, resting his head against it. He practiced deep breaths like he always did when he felt like he was about to cry. He never understood why he still felt this way after things like this with his father happened; he was completely used to it. But that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt still; the feeling of being unloved by one of the only people in the world who are supposed to love you.

            That’s why he found such a refuge in Ladybug. She always had a way of making him feel _wanted._ He might even go as far as to say that she made him feel _loved._

            She always emphasized to people that he was not her sidekick, that they were a team. She had told him endless times that without him, she would be nothing. Ladybug and Chat Noir need each other.

            And after hearing that time and time again, hearing those words from someone’s lips when no one else has bothered to tell him those things, well of course he was going to fall in love with her.

            The days when he got to see Ladybug were the best of his life. He couldn’t help but constantly have a smile on his face and constantly crack jokes; it was because Ladybug and his suit allowed him to feel _free._

He found a freedom within Plagg that he couldn’t find anywhere else. With that black mask covering his face, he could be whoever he wanted to be. So he was the best thing he could ever imagine being: himself. He desperately wished that he could find the strength and courage to be his true self when he wasn’t wearing the mask as well, but he couldn’t. His father programmed him from the beginning to uphold a strict persona from the start. His father disapproved of any jokes, mischief, or basically anything a regular teenager would want to do.

            Adrien believed one of the reasons he had minimal friends at school was because he just didn’t fit in. He wasn’t like the rest of them. Adrien was famous, and he was shy and reserved and always had a serious expression on. He sometimes wishes that he had never been born into this lifestyle, because he missed out on being a regular teenager. But then he immediately chastises himself when he thinks that, because he knows that’s just not fair. People would kill to be in the position he finds himself in now.

            So instead he manages finding small chunks of relief when he’s in Ladybug’s presence. He could deal with photographers, designers, and any crazed fan in the entire world for a year straight if it meant that just one day out of that year, he got to see Ladybug’s smile.

            “C’mon, Adrien.” Plagg flew from the bookcase to rest in his backpack. “You’re going to be late for school.”

 

* * *

 

Adrien didn’t snap out of his thoughts until he sat down next to Nino in class.

            “Dude, did you see Ladybug and Chat Noir last night fight that akuma?” Adrien shook his head.

            “No, I missed it, man.” Nino rolled his eyes.

            “You always say that. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Apparently afterwards, a couple people saw them stand on a rooftop and argue. Nobody heard what they were saying or anything, but they were definitely fighting.” Adrien sat and remembered their conversation. Was it considered a fight? Adrien didn’t really consider it one, but maybe Ladybug did.

            “It probably wasn’t what you think it was, Nino.” Nino just shook his head and began playing on his phone. Adrien sat and stared out the window, recalling everything that was said between the two of them last night.

            Why was Ladybug so angry at Chat for wanting to know her? She thought that Chat would be disappointed, but that statement almost made him laugh. Like he could ever be disappointed with anything dealing with Ladybug. He couldn’t even hate Ladybug if it was Chloe. He looked over at Chloe’s seat, and she was already staring up at him. She smiled and blew him a kiss before turning to torment Sabrina. Thank God Ladybug wasn’t Chloe though.

            “I’m telling you, Mari, Ladybug and Chat Noir were definitely fighting! I just wished I could have captured it for my LadyBlog.” Alya walked in balancing her phone on her books, and behind her walked in Marinette.

            Adrien would be lying if he said his heart didn’t jump a little when he saw Marinette. He had always admired her from the very first day of school. She had stood up to Chloe when no one else would.  She was kind, and compassionate, and she had so many friends that Adrien was jealous. She was also incredibly talented. He had tried on multiple occasions to reach out and talk to her, but she always avoided him. She wouldn’t ever really respond to him, avoiding eye contact and never speaking to him directly. He thought it was something to do with the piece of chewing gum from the first day of school on her chair. She believed that he had placed it as he tried to pull it off, and although he apologized, he assumed she still held a grudge against him for it. It made him a little sad. Marinette and Alya sat in their seats as soon as Madame Bustier walked in.

            “Okay, class. We have a lot to learn today, and only eight hours to learn it all in, so pay attention.” The whole class groaned. Adrien was just excited that he had patrol tonight.

 

* * *

 

            “Hey there, pretty Kitty.” She swung off her yoyo and walked to stand next to him. She sat down and dangled her legs off of the building like he did.

            “Good evening, my Lady. I never would have expected to see you here.”  They sat in silence for minutes and just looked out at the Parisian horizon.

            “Chat?”

            “Yes, Bugaboo?”

            “I’m sorry I overreacted last night. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Chat could feel her eyes on him, so he turned and looked at her. “You’re right. We need to start thinking about the bigger picture.” His heart leapt from his chest. Was he about to find out Ladybug’s identity?

            “I’m just not ready, Chat. I can’t find the confidence in myself yet. I’m too scared and I’m sorry.” They sat in silence for a while after that.

            “That’s okay, Ladybug, seriously. I’m not upset, and I understand. You can take all the time that you need. Now let’s go patrol Paris.” Chat stood up and reached his hand down to pull up Ladybug.

            “Can we just sit here tonight, Chat? Instead of patrolling, can we just talk?” Chat’s voice got stuck in his throat. He never expected that Ladybug would ever ask him to blow off patrol just to talk to him. He tried to hide the warm rising to his face.

            “I would never want to spend my night any differently.” Chat slid back next to Ladybug and tried to conceal the smile playing on his lips.

            “Do you ever feel like you have your mind set on one particular thing, but the minute another thing comes along you get confused on what the right decision is?” Chat scrunched his eyebrow and turned to her.

            “What do you ──,” but Chat was distracted by a paper flying through the wind. It flashed bright colors, so he slid his pole out of his holster, extending it and letting the paper wrap around it. He pulled it back in, and looked at the flyer.

            It was a paper announcing the masquerade ball they had for high school students across Paris to celebrate Halloween. The mayor discovered that there was less mischief from teens if they were given something else to do, so he made sure he always had options.

            “Is that for the masquerade ball this Saturday?”

            “It mostly certainly is. Will a certain lady in spots be attending?”

            “Perhaps. If a certain mangy alley cat shows up, then I guess I’ll have to as well; to keep him out of trouble only, of course.” Ladybug teasingly flicked at the bell hanging on Chat’s collar, and he laughed. “I was actually already thinking about going.”

            “Well how will I know who you are? You’ll be wearing a mask.” She looked at him silently for a few moments.

            “You mean like how I am right now…?” Chat’s face went red from embarrassment. Ladybug genuinely laughed, covering her face a little and her eyes crinkling. Chat’s face got even warmer.

            “I didn’t ─− I mean ─−,” but Ladybug just giggled again.

            “What’s wrong? _Cat_ got your tongue?” She smirked at Chat.

            And that was when Chat Noir thought he was going to die. He was just going to melt into a big puddle of warmth and butterflies. All because Ladybug made a _pun._

_I am so in love with this girl._

“Don’t worry, Chat. I’m just teasing. I was actually thinking about going dressed in all red and black, you know, like a ladybug.” He recomposed himself enough to make a response.

            “Well, my Lady, I guess if you’re going to be adorned in red and black, I must reciprocate the favor. I will wear a suit entirely blank and neon green.” She smiled.

            “That’ll be quite a sight to see. I’ll believe you when I see you.”

            “You just have to promise me to save me a dance, won’t you?”

            “I’ll promise to save you the whole night.” Ladybug looked into Chat’s eyes in a way that made his heart stop.

            “You’re in quite a good _mew_ d today, Lady.” She rolled her eyes.

            “Why do puns sound better coming out of my mouth than yours?” She asked rhetorically.

            _Because your voice is much more beautiful than mine._ But Chat didn’t say that. He rarely says the things he thinks out loud.

            “Yes, I am in a good mood today. I had an important realization last night.”

            “What was it?”

            “It was that… it’s late and I need to get home.” She was staring at the large clock hanging off the city building. It said it was already 9:30 p.m.

            “Wow, time flies. I feel like we just sat down.” Ladybug grinned and stood up.

            “Until next time, Kitty.” She rang his little bell one more time, giggling as she did it, and then began yo-yoing back home.

            “Until next time, my love.” Chat responded, but the red blur was long gone before she could hear him.


	3. Basically the Scene in Cinderella Where the Mice Make Her Dress Without the Mice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's POV

It was Friday night, and the Masquerade ball was tomorrow. Marinette delicately stuck pins in the hem of her dress.

            She had spent every waking moment that she could working on the dress; whenever she wasn’t at school, sleeping, eating, or saving Paris; which didn’t take that much time, since the akuma attacks have been scarce for a couple weeks now (which terrified Marinette more than she admitted to Chat). Ever since her bickering with Chloe, she was determined to make this the most beautiful dress she’s ever made.

            _“Hey, Marinette, are you going to the masquerade?” Sabrina looked back at her in the classroom._

            _“Of course she’s not, Sabrina. Don’t be silly. Marinette would never be able to go! She wouldn’t even be able to afford a mask, let alone a dress.”_

_“As it just so happens, Chloe,” Marinette growled, “I’m making my own dress. And it’ll be far better than anything you can buy in a store.” Chloe snorted._

_“Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it. So never.”_

Marinette was overly pleased with how the dress had turned out.

            She stayed true to her promise to Chat, only using red and black fabric, except for the white tulle that she used to fluff the skirt up. She went to the fabric store the day the new shipment came, and she was lucky enough to find silk and lace fabric that was black ombre and turned into red at the bottom. She almost cried because of how perfect it was. She then found the same fabric in plain black, which she used to construct the bodice of her dress. The dress swooped down past her feet, which is why she convinced her mom to allow her to borrow her red heels for the night. Marinette had been practicing walking and dancing in them for the entire week.

            “Wow, Marinette! You sure have been putting a lot of effort into this!” Tikki zipped around the dress from head to toe.

            “I know, Tikki. But I think it’ll be worth it. It turned out really beautiful didn’t it?”

            “It sure did, Mari! Are you sure you’re not putting in all this effort for a certain person who said they’d be there?” Marinette smiled slightly.

            “Who, you mean, Chat? No way, Tikki, I wouldn’t go to all this trouble just for him.” Tikki poked her cheek and giggled.   

            “Oh, Mari, when will you learn that I know you better than that? I can feel the way your body language changes when you’re around him. You tense up the same way when you’re around Adrien! You’ve been spending a lot more time with him recently too!”

            This was true. Marinette had finally agreed that they should go patrolling more than three times a week, so for right now they bumped it up to four. After Marinette’s conversation with Tikki, she had been a lot more open to the idea of him. Her annoyance with his puns had slowly turned into adoration, and his incessant flirting had become much more obvious now. But it didn’t change anything. Marinette’s heart still belonged to Adrien.

            “We’re just friends, Tikki, and partners. Nothing more.” Tikki opened her mouth to say something else, but she was cut off by a loud thud hitting their rooftop. Marinette dropped the needle she had in her hand, startled.

            “Marinette, you okay?” Sabine called from the kitchen.

            “Yeah, mom, I’m fine! Just clumsy is all! I’m not hurt!” Marinette picked her needle back up and gently placed it on her desk. She wrapped up her dress and rolled the form into the closet, closing the door before reaching up to open the skylight to the roof. She stuck her head out, and was greeted by a loud moan of pain.

            “Chat Noir?” His blonde bed-headed hair flew up as he popped up to look at Marinette.

            “Oh, hello, princess! My a _paw_ logy for dropping in so noisily!” Chat stood up and brushed himself off. Marinette caught a glimpse of his hands before he tucked them behind his back.   

            “Your glove is ripped and you’re bleeding.” Chat pulled his hands back in front of him and looked.

            “Oh yes, it would appear I am. That’s okay though. I’ll just go home and fix it up.” He grabbed his baton again and prepared himself to propel off the roof.

            “No, please, let me help you here.” He turned back around to face her. “It’s no trouble at all, seriously!” He pushed his baton back in the sling on his back.

            “If you insist, kind healer.” Marinette just rolled her eyes and beckoned him to follow her into her room.

            “Let me go get stuff for that, okay? I’ll be right back.” She closed the door of her bathroom behind her.

            Marinette leaned her back against the door and took a deep breath. Chat Noir was currently in her room. Her heart was doing back flips as she tried to find the band-aids and a washcloth. She dampened the cloth before opening the door back into her room. When she saw Chat again, she realized the entirely huge mistake she had made inviting him in. Her face went beet red as he turned around, smirking at her and pointing towards her wall.

            “Someone’s got quite the obsession, don’t they?”

            It had somehow slipped her mind that to invite Chat in would mean for him to see her Adrien shrine. The wall behind her computer was coated in cut outs from magazines, online articles, and even pictures from Alya’s phone. And next to that shrine, was another area dedicated completely to Ladybug and Chat. She would never be able to explain that one to him. She silently thanked God that her computer was at least powered off and he wouldn’t get to see her embarrassing wallpaper.

            “Oh, yes, I guess I kind of do! I’ve always adored Ladybug and Chat Noir’s dynamic, I mean ─−,” but Chat cut her off.     

            “Not Ladybug and I.” He tapped the cluster of Adrien. “I mean Adrien.”

             Marinette stared at him quizzically. “How do you know his name?”

            Without missing a beat, Chat scoffed. “His face is plastered all across Paris, how could I not know his name?” Marinette didn’t respond, instead she just took his gloves off of his hands and began to dab at his cuts.

            “I guess I don’t really blame you. I mean I get it, he’s a _model._ Every girl in Paris has an undying love for him.” Marinette slightly recoiled, and her heart felt a sad pang of irritation.

            “Do you honestly think I’m so shallow that I only have a fascination with him for his career?” Marinette looked up at Chat, and she could feel her eyes getting misty.

            “That’s not what I ─−,” Chat stuttered over his words. “I didn’t mean to offend you, princess.”

            “I don’t care that Adrien models. So many girls are so head-over-heels for the looks and all the cameras that they miss the things that really matters.” Marinette looked away from Chat. She was embarrassed at everything she was about to say, but at the same time she didn’t care. She was angry that her friend could think she was so petty as to only like Adrien for his face. “They miss out on realizing the fact that Adrien is kind. He is nice and supportive of everyone he meets. They don’t understand that he’s compassionate, and he’s sweet. They don’t notice that he’s funny, and that he’s a good friend. Adrien Agreste is not just a pretty face; he’s a beautiful soul as well.”

            When she finished, silence fell over the two. She glanced at Chat from the side, and she thought she noticed his face looking redder than usual and his eyes looking wet. She pushed that thought out of her head as silly, and began bandaging his hands. When she was finished, Chat hadn’t moved or said anything. When he realized she was done, he cleared his throat and stood up awkwardly.

            “Well, I’m sure that Adrien would be very pleased to hear your opinion of him.” His voice was caught in his throat.

            “Are you okay?” Marinette’s forehead creased with worry.

            “Princess, I am absolutely _purr_ fect!” And just like that, Chat was back to his regular self. Marinette could have screamed out of annoyance. Why did he always have to pretend he was always okay when he obviously wasn’t? 

            “But I really must be heading off. It’s a big day tomorrow, and I need all the beauty sleep I can get. It’s not easy being this attractive.” He jokingly ran his fingers through his hair and winked at Marinette. She giggled.

            Chat jumped up and grabbed the edge of the skylight, dangling off Marinette’s ceiling.

            “So long, princess.” And like that, Chat had flipped out and melted into the shadows.

            Marinette just stood, smiling, at the skylight until Tikki zoomed in front of her.

            “Marinette! It’s already almost midnight! You need to finish your dress for tomorrow!”

            “Oh my gosh, good looking out, Tikki!” Marinette quickly pulled the dress back out of her closet, and hurriedly began sewing and pinning until she fell asleep on her floor.

 

* * *

 

            “Oh, Tikki.” Marinette slowly rolled awake, gently massaging at her neck and shoulder. “Falling asleep on the floor was not one of my best ideas.” Tikki giggled, whizzing over to Marinette and cuddling her cheek.

            “But you finished the dress, Mari! And it looks absolutely beautiful!” Marinette grinned at her work. The dress was completely perfect.

            “Now I just have to finish the mask!” Marinette began to work on the delicate black face mask she bought at a costume store. She used the scraps of her ombre fabric and gently plastered it to the mask. She cut out the fabric of the eyes so it fit perfectly over. She then used some black feathers and attached them to both sides, and lined the bottom of it with diamond rhinestones (fake of course).

            “Oh, Marinette! It looks awesome! Chat will be dumbfounded when he sees you!” Marinette’s face got a little warm. She was more excited than she would express at the idea of Chat being awestruck at her beauty. She giggled slightly.

            “Now Tikki, let’s go get food so we can start pampering ourselves for tonight!”

            Marinette spoiled herself the entire day. She infiltrated the bakery downstairs, hijacking dozens of different pastries. Her parents probably would have cared if they were they, but fortunately they were at a food festival downtown the entire day to promote the bakery. Of course, Marinette’s mother didn’t go without putting up a fight, reluctant to leave her daughter the day of her very first dance.

            _“Marinette, I really should stay. What if you need help with your makeup or your dress? And who will take pictures?”_

_“Mom, seriously I’ll be fine. The dress will be easy, my makeup isn’t hard to figure out, and I have timer on my phone camera. Please, go to the festival.”_

That discussion lasted for twenty minutes, until Marinette finally succeeded in convincing her mother.

            Marinette and Tikki snacked on cookies and croissants through their activities the entire day. Marinette made sure to start getting ready early, giving herself a lot of time for dawdling. She first treated herself to a long, hot bath, using her favorite lilac bubble serum and lighting many different candles. She and Tikki just sat there, eating cookies and laughing for over an hour. Once the water started getting cold, she stepped out and dried herself off.

            She spent the rest of her afternoon making herself look and feel as beautiful as she could. She moisturized her body, she did her nails, and she primed and polished herself to prepare for the real work. Once the clock read 4, she began doing the things that really mattered.

            She curled lose ringlets in her head of hair, the raven locks falling gently on her shoulders. She considered lacing a red ribbon in between the curls, since that was her signature, but she decided to try something different tonight.

            Once her hair was delicately pushed back from her face, she brushed on a light layer of foundation and concealer. It wasn’t until she got to her eyes that she really showed her talent. She decided to go with a dark and smoky eye look, making sure her eyeliner was perfectly winged to the side of her face. She painted on bold red lipstick, completing her fierce look. When Marinette looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t even recognize herself. She rarely wore makeup, only because she was too lazy to apply it or she woke up too late to, but she liked the way she looked right now.

            “You look so good, Marinette!” Tikki cheerily whizzed in front of Marinette. “But look what time it is, you should be getting dressed!”

            With Tikki’s help with the zipper, Marinette finished off her audacious look after placing the mask over her eyes.

            “Marinette! You look amazing! Chat will be very happy to see you!” Marinette was glad she already had the mask on, because otherwise Tikki would have teased her for the redness in her face.         

            “But where will I stay?” Tikki’s antennae drooped a tad, thinking that Marinette had forgotten about her little friend.

            “Oh, Tikki, I could never forget about you!” Marinette lifted the dress slightly, revealing a small pocket stitched into the fabric. Tikki gleefully pecked Marinette’s cheek, and then zoomed into the little pocket.

            Marinette took a few pictures on her phone to please her mother, before giving herself one last look in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection, and then closed the bakery doors and disappeared into the night.


	4. Chat is Literally So in Love With Ladybug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's POV

It took a while to convince his father that he didn’t need to be escorted to the dance.

            It didn’t seem to matter to his father that the dance was at the school, _(“I mean, c’mon father, I walk there every day of my life and arrive unscathed!”)._ Adrien’s only choice was to escape through the window, like the countless nights he had done cloaked as Chat Noir.

He took one last swift look in the mirror before dropping out. Having a designer father and his own team definitely had its perks. When he told them that he wanted his suit in black and green, they were a little confused, but began working immediately none-the-less.

            And their hard work showed. They created a complete and perfect Chat Noir suit. The outside was charcoal black, like normal, but the lining of the jacket and his vest were neon green. His bowtie was black silk, and the mask they molded specifically to his face was black as well. The best part of the outfit though, had to be the cufflinks. He had asked one of his best and most trusted designers if it was possible to get cufflinks with cat paws on them, and he was not let down. The glowing green cat paw in the middle of the smooth black cufflinks was the perfect finish to his outfit.

            “You went to all this trouble for just one night.” Plagg drifted lazily around the room. “I’ll never understand humans.”

            “Tonight I get to see Ladybug without the suit. Of course I’m going to go to the trouble of looking good.” Plagg rolled his eyes.

            “She’ll still be wearing a mask, lover boy.  And I wouldn’t go as far as saying you look good.” Adrien rolled his eyes.

            “Whatever, Plagg. Just get in my ring.” And with that transformation, Adrien jumped out the window.

            He almost immediately found an alley on the street of the school in which he hid in and detransformed. After a small bickering with Plagg, he shoved him in his coat pocket and began heading towards the school. When he stepped inside, it was not a dance that was taken lightly.

            The city had obviously put a lot of effort into this dance. Black and orange streamers hung from everywhere; the ceilings, the banisters, and the doorframes. Carved jack-o-lanterns were set up everywhere, candles burning inside them. Each room on the first floor had different setups; the film room was showing horror movies, the cafeteria was a buffet, and the library was having game competitions. Adrien stood at the top of the staircase and checked out his surroundings. He skimmed the area for anyone wearing red and black, but wasn’t lucky.

            He looked off to the side and saw his friend, Nino, standing by himself. He had a glass of punch in his hand and was bobbing to the music so sadly that Adrien felt drawn over to him.

            “Hey, Nino, you good?” Adrien placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

            “Adrien, bro, is that you?” Nino’s sad expression was replaced with awe. “You look good dude!” Adrien smiled in response.

            “And yeah, thank you for asking, I’m good. I just can’t seem to find Alya.” Nino’s eyes did another sweep of the room.

            “Have you checked the film room? You know how much she loves horror movies.” Nino’s expression turned into gratitude.

            “I haven’t! Thank you, man. I hope you have a good night!” And with that, Nino rushed off.

Adrien stood in the corner for awhile, just glancing around at all the teens. Some were dancing, others were just talking. The music went from fast to slow every couple songs, so he watched their moods change with the beat. He stood in the corner, and as he watched more and more people begin to dance, he felt more and more alone. Suddenly his face felt immensely hot, and he reprimands himself for being so stupid. For thinking that Ladybug would actually ever want to come and dance with him. He turned around to go find Nino and tell him he was leaving, but a silence fell over everyone in the room. They all seemed to be staring up, awestruck, at the entrance. When Adrien turned around with them, he couldn’t help his jaw from dropping.

Standing at the top of the staircase, was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Her midnight blue hair was elegantly twisted into ringlets that caressed her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes shone from underneath her dark mask. Her dress swept along the floor as she moved. The fabric, which started off black and changed into red at the bottom, hugged her torso in such a way that everyone was envious of her body. Adrien’s heart did flips, and he mentally yelled at himself for being so hasty about his exit.

He made his way to the staircase, slightly hunching over so he was down on one knee, extending his arm up to the girl. She looked down at him, and he thought he was on fire.

“My Lady,” Adrien made eye contact with him, and those beautiful blue eyes were enough to knock the wind out of him, let alone the rest of her. She delicately placed her hand within his, and he led her down the stairs and near the back of the main room.

“Well, I must say, I am thoroughly impressed,” Ladybug smirked at him once he turned back around to face her. “I truly didn’t think an alley cat like you could clean up this nicely.” He tried to smile, but his lips couldn’t move. He was so awestruck at Ladybug.      

Not only did her dress and hair look absolutely beautiful, but her lips. She had put on a bold red lipstick, which plumped up her lips irresistibly. Ladybug’s lips usually looked quite ‘kissable’ if Adrien was being honest, but this was different. She had him basically salivating just by looking at him. She could have asked him to throw himself in front of a train right now, and he wouldn’t even have a moment’s hesitation. All Adrien could think about is how badly he wanted to feel those lips against his own.

“And you, Ladybug, look absolutely ravishing.” She gave him a smile, almost as if she completely brushed off his comment.

“Well thank you, Chat.” He shook his head.

“No, I don’t think you understand. You look, so incredibly beautiful right now. Almost to the point that I can’t resist having my hands on you. You are completely stunning, my Lady.” Ladybug’s eyes widened slightly at his honesty. They had never been so straightforward with each other. Nor had Adrien ever gone past the point of light flirting with her and basically made his affection for her known. She was very silent, staring up at Adrien with big eyes.

“What, no pun? No, ‘Ladybug you look _purr_ fect right now’?” Adrien shook his head.

“Not even the best pun in the world would do you justice right now.” She looked away from Adrien.

“Thank you,” she repeated, but her voice was much smaller now. Adrien thought he saw her blush, but he told himself that he just imagined it. Then, the music had changed to a much slower pace than what was playing originally. Adrien offered his hand again to her.

“Can I have this dance, my Lady?” She smiled, placing her hand in his as he led them both out to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gently grazing his back with her fingertips. He tried to hide his shudder, placing his hands on her waist. They slowly moved with the music, both of their faces heating up quickly.

“I’m not going to lie, Bugaboo; I didn’t think you were going to show up.” She teasingly gasped.

“I promised that I was going to come here. I never break a promise.”

 

* * *

 

Adrien thought he was going to start crying when he saw the clock. It was only ten minutes until midnight, when the dance officially ended. He and Ladybug had an absolutely enchanting time; revolving around dancing, laughing, talking, and eating. He never wanted his time with her to end.

            “Chat, are you okay?” Ladybug brushed her fingers against his arm. There was two layers of fabric between them, so how did Adrien still get chills when he touched her?

            “I don’t want it to end.” He whispered, looking down at his feet. “Because for it to end would mean that I’d have to say goodbye to you, and to say goodbye to you should be a sin all on its own.” Ladybug giggled, her face lighting up brighter than the moon. God she was so beautiful. His heart stopped and his stomach flipped with butterflies as the lights hit her stunning blue eyes like they were stars.

            “Why do you look at me like that?” Ladybug cocked her head at Adrien. Adrien shook his head.

            “Like what?”

            “Like I’m your everything.” Adrien stopped. He stopped breathing, he stopped blinking, he stopped moving. He did nothing except look deeply into his Lady’s eyes. God he wanted to kiss her so badly.

            “I ─−, I don’t know how else to look at you.” Ladybug was silent for a moment, unmoving. She then did something that surprised Chat. She reached up, wrapped herself tightly around his shoulders, and buried her head in his chest. He didn’t know what to do, waiting a few moments, before reciprocating the action. He looped his arms around her tiny waist and held on as tightly as he thought he could without hurting her. He leaned down, placing his forehead on top of her head. She smelled like lilacs and warm bread and it made his heart melt. She pulled away, and so he unwilling unraveled his hands from her.

            “Why don’t you walk me home? Or at least, close to home.” She giggled, and he smiled.

            “I would want to do nothing more, my Lady.”

            They walked up the steps and out the door, side by side. Their shoulders brushed together, and Adrien thought that alone was enough to kill him. They walked in silence, and he only stopped when Ladybug stopped at a corner.

            “We should stop here.” Chat nodded, disappointment clouding his face.

            “I had a lot of fun tonight, Chat. Thank you.” He nodded, but didn’t trust himself to say anything. In the silence, Ladybug stood up on her very tiptoes, placed her hand on his far cheek, and planted her lips on the cheek closest to her. He felt the heat rise to where her lips were placed only moments ago.

            “Oops, you have a little bit of lipstick on your cheek.” She laughed nervously, reaching up to wipe it off.

            “Don’t,” Adrien pushed away her hand. “Leave it.” He looked at Ladybug’s face. Her eyes were wide, and the edges of her cheeks under the mask were dotted with red. She was blushing.

            “Goodnight, Chat.” Ladybug turned the corner of the street, and disappeared.

            “Goodbye, my Lady.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part in the dance when Ladybug says: "Why do you look at me like that?" and the following responses are directly from a tumblr gifset I saw. I do not know the original owner, but if anyone does, please feel free to tell me, so I can give them credit!


	5. Cat Got Your Tongue?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry the chapter titles are god-awful I don't know what else to name them

Marinette thanked God that her parents were not yet home from the food stand, because if they were, they would demand to know why she had the cheesiest smile on her face. Marinette giggled as she stood in the bakery, twirling around in her dress.

            “Well it sounds like you had fun!” Tikki zipped out from underneath the dress.

            “Tikki that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” Tikki giggled, swooping up to kiss her cheek.

            “It’s late, Marinette. You can think more about how much fun you had at the dance tomorrow after a good night’s sleep!” Marinette yawned in agreement.

            Together, the kwami and her holder trudged up the stairs and to a sleep full of dreams.

 

* * *

 

            Early.

            That was the first thing that Marinette was able to process when she woke up the next morning. It was early. By the way the sunlight poured into her room, she would guess it was about eight or nine.

            “Marinette,” the little kwami grumbled from her bed. “Your phone.”

            Bleary-eyed, Marinette blindly reached for her phone and squinted at it. Twenty new text messages and three missed calls. All from Alya.

            “Does that girl ever sleep?” Marinette mumbled as she unlocked her phone to read the messages.

            **A: MARINETTE WAKE UP IT IS AN EMERGENCY!**

**A: THIS IS A CATEGORY 5 EMERGENCY, IT’S DOWNRIGHT DISASTOROUS**

**A: MARI PLEASE I NEED TO TALK TO YOU CALL ME BACK!**

            And they all basically read along those lines. Marinette begrudgingly hit the “call back” button under Alya’s number, and was immediately met with screams on the other line.

            “Marinette, finally you answer!” Marinette winced at the decibel increase.

            “Alya, can we maybe keep it down? It’s still early.”

            “No can do, Marinette. Because I have big news, like absolutely huge news. And it may or may not just shatter your heart once and for all.”

            Marinette scrunched her face up in confusion. She quickly wondered if Alya was talking about new information on Chat for the Ladybug. She then realized that didn’t make sense, because Alya didn’t know her feelings for Chat.

            “What are you talking about, Alya?”

            “I don’t know if I should tell you anymore. I’m slowly regretting my decision more and more the longer we’re on the phone.” Marinette rolled her eyes. Alya was a lover for the theatrics sometimes.       

            “Alya, can you please just tell me before I hang up on you?”

            “Fine, Marinette, but I warned you, I seriously did.” She held her breath for a few moments before speaking again.

            “Adrien was dancing with a girl last night at the dance, and unless that someone was you…”

Marinette stopped breathing.

“Actually, they did a little more than dance… They spent the entire night together to say the least.”

Marinette didn’t remember to inhale until she went cross-eyed. Her heart slowed down significantly. There was a heaviness weighing on her, and she tried to decipher what she was feeling. Jealousy? Rage?

No, _guilt_ sounded more like it. Marinette felt guilty. Not once, not once during the entire night, did the thought of Adrien cross her mind. She had focused all her attention and directed all her energy to Chat.

“Oh, okay.” Marinette didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t really have a right to be angry. “Do you know who she was?”

“No, nobody does. But honestly, she was the most beautiful girl at the party, I mean she was stunning!” Alya signed dreamily. “No offense, of course. No girl ever compares to you.” Marinette rolled her eyes, chuckling.

“Nice save. What did she look like?”

“Oh my god, Mari, her outfit was absolutely gorgeous. Her mask was black, and her dress was black at the top, and then it liked flared out into a bright red! So brilliant and edgy!”

Marinette froze. She suddenly found breathing insanely hard.

“You said black… into red… kinda like, ombre?”

“Yes!” Alya proclaimed, “exactly like ombre!” Marinette stopped blinking. She stopped blinking, breathing, and anything else that was necessary to live. Solely because, she wanted to die.

“And how do you know it was Adrien?” Marinette’s voice squeaked out over the phone.

“Well see, after Nino came and found me in the library, we talked for a while before heading out to the dance floor. When we came out, we saw the girl and this guy dancing together, and Nino made a comment like: ‘Hey that’s Adrien! He’s wearing the black and green suit! Good for him, man!’ So yeah, that’s how we know. But nobody knows who she is!”

Marinette felt her hand shake. She glanced over at Tikki, curiously zipping out of her bed now and meeting Marinette’s eyes. She looked quizzically at her holder, but Mari couldn’t move.

“Alya, I have to go.”

“Marinette, I’m so sorry! I never should have told you, and I’m the worst ─−.”

Marinette hung up the phone before she heard the rest of the sentence. She numbly placed the phone back down, sitting up and putting her head in her hands.

“Marinette, are you okay?” Tikki murmured, affectionately patted Marinette’s cheek.

“No, I’m not Tikki. Adrien was dancing with another girl last night…” Tikki scrunched her little eyebrows up.

“Marinette, you can’t really be upset at that. You spent the whole night dancing with Chat. You didn’t even remember ──.”

“You don’t understand, Tikki. Adrien was dancing with another girl last night… a girl dressed in black and red ombre.”

Silence fell over the two of them. Tikki awkwardly floated in front of Marinette, as Marinette blankly stared at the floor.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Marinette.” Marinette’s face twisted in fury.

“You mean, you _knew_? You _knew_ that Adrien was Chat all this time, and you didn’t tell me?”

“Marinette, you know the kwamis aren’t allowed to release identities! I would have told you if I was allowed, but I couldn’t!” Marinette ran her fingers through her hair.

“How did you know? How could you tell?”

“I mean, I couldn’t be exact. But I felt Plagg’s presence whenever you’re in class, at school. So I didn’t know for sure it was Adrien, but I had my suspicions.”

Marinette blinked tears out of her eyes. She tried to stop the shaking in her hands. She tried to slow down her breathing. Her thoughts drifted over all of the things her and Chat had done together, now replacing them with Adrien.

“Oh my god… I admitted to Adrien that I liked him.” Marinette groaned, recalling Friday night’s events in her room.

“OH MY GOD! I KISSED ADRIEN!” Marinette choked, recalling the Valentine’s Day that they fought Dark Cupid. She slammed her body down back on her bed.

“It’s not a big deal, Mari!” Tikki attempted to reassure her.

Marinette stood up, walking over to her desk and plopping down in the chair. She stared up at all the pictures she had hanging up; both of Adrien, and her and Chat.

“But… they’re so different, Tikki. I mean, Adrien is, Adrien! He’s shy, obedient, and respectful! And Chat is… not!” Tikki sighed, zooming over to sit on her desk.

“Maybe they’re really not that different, Mari.” Marinette raised her eyebrow.

“I mean, people only are chosen to receive kwamis when they are looking for something as well. For example, you, Marinette, were looking for confidence in yourself. Which, being Ladybug, has helped you find! Even though we’re still working on it. Maybe he’s just looking for something himself.” The kwami winked.

Marinette looked back up at the pictures, grabbing a picture of Chat and one of Adrien where they took up the same position. Marinette didn’t understand how she didn’t notice something similar before. Both pictures depicted the boys standing with their feet at shoulders length, one hip cocked, elbow bent, and hand on their hip. But there was something a little different about the pictures, like the mood was just off between both of them.

“Tikki, is there something different between these pictures?” Tikki flitted behind her.

“I mean their positions are the same, yes. But if you look a little closer.” She pointed to the picture of Chat. “He’s stretched out, standing proud of himself. But Adrien, he’s more closed in. He’s trying to take up as little space as possible.”

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“Why would Chat be more confident than Adrien? Adrien is a _model._ He does just fine in the self confidence department I’m sure.”

“Maybe it’s not about confidence, Marinette. Maybe it’s about the fact that as Chat he has a certain luxury to be himself that he doesn’t have as Adrien. I mean, you’re right, Adrien is a model. And because of that, he has to uphold himself with a certain maturity. Maybe he doesn’t feel like he can act like himself as Adrien Agreste, but he can as Chat Noir.”

Marinette understood now. She understood why Chat was so flirty and almost wild to a certain extent, he felt _free._ He was free to do what he wanted and to act how he wanted. He trusted Ladybug enough to release his true self around her.

Suddenly, she realized she was no better than any of Adrien’s other fans. She pretended like she loved him for more than his looks, but in reality, she didn’t know Adrien. She didn’t know him at all. Her face heated up as she felt more and more embarrassed for acting like a fool around him all the time. In a blind fury, she shredded all the pictures that she had of him taped up.

“I didn’t love him, Tikki. Not before I started falling for Chat at least. I didn’t love Adrien because I didn’t fall for his honest self. I fell in love with his _mask_.” Marinette was disgusted with herself.

“Wait… did you just say you’re falling for Chat?”


End file.
